9 Kings Launches on Smartphones With Kingdom Building, Cards and Ridiculous Strategic Combinations

Playdigious has scheduled the mobile release of 9 Kings for October 12, bringing Sad Socket's successful roguelike strategy game to iOS and Android. The title combines kingdom building, deck construction and automatic battles into a deceptively straightforward formula that quickly becomes wonderfully complicated. Players begin by choosing one of nine rulers, each possessing distinctive abilities and strategic advantages.

Some specialise in generating enormous amounts of wealth, while others rely on magical powers, unusual military units or combinations that become increasingly powerful as a run progresses. Rather than constructing a traditional strategy-game empire through complicated menus, players use cards to place buildings, recruit troops and improve their defences. Rival kingdoms attack regularly, forcing players to adapt their strategies while expanding their own capabilities.

Defeating another ruler provides opportunities to acquire cards from that opponent's collection, creating combinations that would probably be considered completely unreasonable in a conventional strategy game. The mobile version features redesigned touchscreen controls and interface adjustments intended to make its systems comfortable on smaller displays. Android players can also expect Google Play Games achievements and cloud-saving support.

The announced business model allows players to try the game before purchasing the complete experience for $8.99. That is an appealing proposition for anyone uncertain whether their kingdom-building ambitions justify another purchase. 9 Kings has already attracted attention on PC for encouraging creative combinations rather than rigid strategies.

Its mobile arrival could prove particularly successful among players who enjoy short tactical sessions that somehow develop into three-hour experiments in economic domination.